Information for International Families 24-25 by Sherborne Boys

Welcome from the Headmaster

Alongside its rich heritage, Sherborne prides itself on being a vibrant, forwardlooking school which prepares young people to develop a global outlook and embrace the opportunities presented in today's modern world. In addition to enjoying a first-rate academic education and myriad co-curricular opportunities, all our pupils benefit from being part of a warm, inclusive, and supportive community.

We place particular value upon our international students, not least for the wide-ranging contributions they make to all areas of school life and the rich seam of diversity that they represent. At the same time, we remain keenly aware of the need to support their individual needs, helping them to feel comfortable from their first day with us and helping them navigate the practical challenges associated with being educated abroad.

I hope you will wish to take your interest in Sherborne further. We would be delighted to tell you more about our school and the very special community in which all our pupils, whatever their backgrounds, are uniquely valued members.

“My son has been given a unique combination of direction and freedom to grow into himself as a curious, kind, confident and attentive teenager.”

Amelia - parent

Simon Heard Headmaster

Academic Studies

At Sherborne, our single-sex status puts the boys at an academic advantage from the outset. Evidence highlights that boys achieve better results in such an environment, but this needs to be balanced, and our relationship with Sherborne Girls ensures that it is. Boys are not only taught how to obtain excellent exam results, but also how to handle the process with confidence. To enable each boy to be treated individually, our timetable is designed to be flexible. With a wide range of GCSE, iGCSE, A Level and BTEC options, together with a programme of academic enrichment, our boys are offered a well-rounded education fit for an ever-evolving world.

Academic outcomes are excellent, as one would expect from a top UK boarding school, but the value-added routinely places Sherborne in the top 10% of schools in the country. We are a selective school, but not highly so, and therefore the results that boys can and do achieve are outstanding, and proof were it needed that our teaching and our approach to academic studies is first rate.

Following excellent pathway provision from our Sixth Form support team, at the end of their studies the majority of our boys leave to take up places at top universities in the UK,

including Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, Imperial College and the London School of Economics. Whilst three quarters of our boys head off to Russell Group universities, global universities (and especially those in USA, Canada and Europe) are becoming attractive options. Vocational courses at The Courtauld, Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music, and Degree Apprenticeships are also popular choices, but whatever path they choose, it is the result of expert guidance from Higher Education specialists, a broad curriculum and outstanding opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

Our academic enrichment programme is wide ranging, and is designed to help boys grow into independent learners – curious thinkers who want to know more, and have the skills to explore. The programme welcomes Olympians, politicians, mountaineers, entrepreneurs, educationalists and authors as visiting speakers, and to further enhance boys’ habits of learning, we offer various subjects as enrichment options at AS Level. Allied to the Extended Project Qualification that boys can complete in the Sixth Form, we believe our overall culture at Sherborne is more akin to that of a university environment than of a school – making it the ideal preparation for a boy’s next steps.

Sport

There are a huge number of sporting options for boys at Sherborne, whether they are part of our high-performance pathways or just wish to take part in the plethora of Sports that the School has to offer. While we are well equipped to bring out the very best in elite sportsmen, we are just as committed to the participation in sport of every single boy at School.

For us, Sport is a success if a boy finds an activity that he enjoys and will stick with once he leaves School. We want our boys to form habits of healthy living; shaping a commitment to regular exercise because

we recognise its importance to both physical and mental wellbeing, and our state-of-theart sports centre with swimming pool, climbing centre, sports halls, squash courts, multi-purpose studios, golf analysis suite, physio centre, fitness suite and dedicated performance gym is integral to this.

We foster strong partnerships with external providers, allowing our high-performance students the opportunity to train and compete at a level beyond the school environment. We have built strong relationships with numerous partners including

Bath and Exeter Rugby, Dorset and Somerset Cricket, Dorset Football, and Dorset Athletics. The High-Performance Programme ensures that students receive personalised strength and conditioning plans, as well as seminars and lectures about nutrition, sleep, psychology, culture and values, leadership, teamwork, performance lifestyle, time management, and video analysis. This comprehensive approach provides our athletes with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive both on and off the field.

“Sherborne

allows me the freedom to grow and pursue the things I most care about alongside my academic studies and other commitments.”

William

Music

Music runs right through the heart of Sherborne and is considered by many to be the top nonspecialist school for music in the country. Fantastically equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the Music School boasts spacious practice rooms with pianos, performance studios that have tie-lines to the Recording Studio, and two music classrooms that contain thirty composing workstations between them.

From the 109-strong Choir that sings in the Abbey, the Chamber Choir and Close Harmony group — singing is “cool” at Sherborne — to the smallest instrumental duo, there is quite literally something for everyone. The Wind Band is enormous but there are smaller groups that cater for all standards of musician. The auditioned Swing Band is one of the finest big bands in the South of England and the two orchestras are joint

with Sherborne Girls and The Gryphon (a local secondary school). Chamber Music proliferates with several ensembles entering national competitions each year with great success. Rock and Pop groups are pupil-led and focus upon the annual CourtsFest (a large screen open-air performance each summer), whilst there is also a further performance opportunity each term and at least two “Unplugged” events per year.

For advanced instrumentalists there are performance opportunities every Friday lunchtime in public concerts held in a nearby church, and informal concerts and masterclasses, competitions, and internal workshops are open to all. As the School that Chris Martin of Coldplay attended, Sherborne provides musical opportunities at every level and genre.

Sherborne Boys has been given the accolade of ‘Great’ for Co-curricular by The Week Magazine in their Best of the Best awards.

Co-Curricular Activities

There is never a dull moment at Sherborne! Boys are encouraged to take part in a wide range of co-curricular activities, from debating to archive club, from campanology to radio broadcasting, as well as opportunities to support others through charity work and volunteering. A limited example of options include:

Allotment Club

Barbell Club

Basics of Jewellery Making

Beginner’s Arabic

Bellringing

Board Games

Chess

Classics Society

Coding Club

Cooking Club

Creative Writing

DJ Practice Club

Environmental Action Group

Geography Society

Grade 5

Music Theory

Medicine in the News

Model United Nations Club

Poker Club

Psychology Club

Radio Sherborne

Snooker Club

The Thinking Society

Theory and Practice of Meditation

Turing Virtual Reality Club

Water Polo

Combined Cadet Force (CCF)

Sherborne CCF is a joint endeavour with Sherborne Girls. We have three sections in the CCF: Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Army. Each section does something different whether sailing, field craft and tactics, military knowledge, or handling a weapon safely. CCF provides leadership opportunities that are not on offer in other areas of school life, and we enter national competitions such as the Rifles Cadet Cup, the Pringle Trophy and the CCF Sailing Regatta. They parade for Remembrance Sunday and the Biennial Inspection, and intrepid cadets can join camps and courses including adventure training in Norway and Transylvania or parachuting!

Outdoor Education

In addition to CCF, our Outdoor Education programme gives boys the opportunity to extend their experiences beyond their comfort zone. We aim to provide opportunities to learn skills such as navigation, campcraft and rope work through activities such as sport or challenges. The main opportunities available include Ten Tors, Duke of Edinburgh and Climbing, which, like CCF, are jointly run with Sherborne Girls.

Climbing is a sport option all year round and held in our state-of-the-art climbing centre. Whether using the climbing wall, or opting for bouldering, our boys compete both locally and nationally in events such as the annual Independent Schools’ Climbing Competition.

“At Sherborne I was able to have experiences and opportunities I otherwise would not have been able to encounter. I had an amazing time.”

Mack

“From sports to CCF, the list of possibilities goes on and on, for all to enjoy whatever they find interesting. The abundance of opportunity sets this school apart from any other, not to mention the value of the opportunities for self-improvement."

Veljko

Our Global Community

Countries of Residence – United Kingdom, plus

Armenia

Bahamas

Bahrain

Barbados

Bermuda

British Virgin Islands

Bulgaria

Canada

Cayman Islands

China

Cyprus

Denmark

Egypt

Falkland

France

Finland

Georgia

Germany

Islands

Ghana

Gibraltar

Guernsey

Hong

Kong

Indonesia

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Jersey

Kenya

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Malta

Montenegro

Netherlands

New

Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Pakistan

Oman

Qatar

Russia

Saudi

Arabia

Serbia

Singapore

South Korea (Republic of Korea)

Spain

Switzerland

Thailand

Ukraine

United Arab

Emirates

USA

Zambia

A Safe Location

Sherborne is a thriving yet peaceful town with a tangible community spirit, making it an enviable location for a School like ours. It is a safe environment in which our boys can grow up, knowing that the dangers and aggressive pressures of a busier, urban setting are unlikely to arise. We hope that by providing opportunities for the boys to mix and engage with the town, the local community and other schools, they will develop a respect for others, a sense of belonging not only to their School but to an ever-changing community beyond, and that they will learn habits of hospitality and service that they continue to practise beyond school and on into their lives.

Medical Care

Our 24-hour on site Health Centre provides a high-quality medical service for all boys during term time. Registered nursing staff provide 24-hour cover in this clinical setting which is fully equipped to manage day to day medical and nursing appointments, as well as offering comfortable accommodation for those needing extra care.

The School Doctor holds surgeries each morning to facilitate any medical assessments or medications required, and physiotherapy is also available. Mental and physical health often go hand in hand, and all staff in the Health Centre are trained professionals, ready and willing to support any mental health concerns. The range of support is vast and always takes an individual approach. It may be as simple as talking and being supported by the duty nurse, speaking to the School Counsellor or it may require a referral for more specialist help, but in every case, the boy’s needs are our priority.

The ‘Pupil Listening Service’ is a wonderful additional layer of support available to boys at peer level. This is a real cause for celebration and is testimony to the caring and empathetic boys we have here at Sherborne. All Pupil Listeners have undergone specialist training to undertake the role and are prepared to support any pupil who would like to talk to another pupil about their feelings.

Travel and Transport

With a dedicated school-based travel manager, our international families can take comfort knowing that their children can be supported with their travel to and from School, if required.

There are supervised coach services to/from London Heathrow at the beginning and end of each term and half term, and scheduled trains to London Waterloo for Exeats and holidays.

Transport arrangements can be made for those travelling to/from Bournemouth, Bristol, Exeter, Gatwick, Heathrow, London City and

Southampton airports, as well as to central London and other areas on request. These services are usually run by Hounslow’s Sherborne Taxis, with DBS checked drivers.

Sherborne is very well placed and benefits from a mainline train station just 4 minutes’ walk from the centre of School, with trains running to London Waterloo every hour.

Fees and Charges

September 2024 – September 2025

Registration Fee

Acceptance Deposit

Fee Deposit

£250

£2,000 (refundable against final account)

One term’s fees (unless holding a UK bank account) (refundable against final term’s fees)

Termly fees

Boarding

Compliance Charge

£18,462

For boys requiring a Child Student Visa, a compliance charge of £100 per CAS application will be added to the first term’s invoice.

Individual Music Tuition

First instrument

Second instrument

Hire of instrument

Learning Support

Individual

Group of Two

£38.50 per 35 minute lesson

£26.00 per 35 minute lesson

£56.15 per term

£49.00 per 45 minute lesson

£25.00 per 45 minute lesson, each Group of Three

£18.50 per 45 minute lesson, each Group of Four

£13.00 per 45 minute lesson, each Extra Support Group

£8.00 per 45 minute lesson, each Language lessons 1-1

English as a Second Language

Individual

Group of Two

£45.00 per 45 minute lesson

£60.00 per 45 minute lesson

£35.00 per 45 minute lesson, each Group of three or more

£24.00 per 45 minute lesson, each

Sherborne Schools

Separate Yet Together

That’s the essence of the Sherborne Schools offer; a girls’ school and a boys’ school, both full-boarding and committed to single-sex education, but cooperating to deliver an extensive co-curricular and social programme, thereby giving all of our pupils the very best of both worlds. The result is an educational offer unlike any other, harnessing the positive academic outcomes of single-sex classrooms while delivering the wider benefits of co-education.